Libraries in all over the world are embracing digital content as major publishers have firmly committed themselves making audiobooks and e-Books available. The American Library Association knows that 95% of all US libraries have an e-book collection. That’s up from 89% in both 2013 and 2012, when researchers thought that adoption had plateaued for good. In provide key information on digital usage in libraries, ALA has partnered Book Industry Study Group and Nielsen for a monumental survey.
The survey will seek to understand library patrons’ use of digital resources and other services offered by public libraries, and will “examine the impact of digital consumption behaviors, including the adoption of new business models,” on library usage across America.
Over 10 different libraries in the US and Canada had over one million digital loans in 2014, with two libraries lending out two million e-Books. This number will likely double in 2015, as companies like 3M Cloud Library and Baker and Taylor begin to gain further traction. Likely the survey will talk about these companies and also new audiobook distributions systems like Hoopla.
Results from the survey will announced at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in San Francisco at the end of June. Good e-Reader will be live on the scene making all of the key findings known.
Currently, it is unknown what the exact questions on the survey will be. I pinged ALA and other people involved in the project and everyone said it was too early to talk about anything definitive.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.